Sunday, July 17, 2005

I forget what got me thinking of lavender, but regardless I really liked the way these cupcakes turned out. They are perfect for any summertime party, like a wedding shower. I served these at a dinner party along side a serving of strawberries and blueberries that I macerated with a touch of apricot brandy and some chopped, fresh spearmint leaves and topped of with a dollop of the lavender cream. The ResultThe Good: Yum. Perfect moist little cakes, creamy frosting with a hint of tartness, and a subtle lavender flavor.

1. soften butter in the mixer on high speed2. drizzle the sugar in with the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes3. sift flour, baking powder, and salt together4. measure out milk and vanilla5. add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter/sugar in 3 parts alternating between flour and milk and beating well after each addition6. set aside incorporated mixture7. in a clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form8. fold egg whites into cake batter until incorporated9. scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pans10. bake in the 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean

1. add sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium high heat2. heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon3. stir in lavender and let the mixture sit over the heat, undisturbed for 3 minutes4. remove from heat, strain into a small bowl, and set in a second bowl of ice to cool5. meanwhile add heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the whip attachment until soft peaks form6. once the sugar mixture is relatively cool to the touch (it can be slightly warm) drizzle into the cream while beating on medium high7. continue to beat on high until firm peaks form

1. soften butter in the mixer on high speed2. add cream cheese and beat until combined3. sift confectioner's sugar4. add about half of the confectioner's sugar and citrus juice and zest to the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat on high speed to combine5. add remaining confectioner's sugar in stages until desired consistency and sweetness is achieved6. add purple food coloring and mix until consistent color is achieved

Assembly1. using a melon baller, scoop out a bit of the cooled cupcakes2. using a small spoon, fill each cavity with lavender cream3. trim off some of the meat of the scooped out cupcake and place back over the cavity4. pipe cream cheese frosting over the top 5. sprinkle lightly with lavender leaves

i tried making the lavender cream but after adding the cooled "lavender/sugar syrup" into the whipped cream, the whole thing just cuddled. I did cool the syrup first, and whipped the cream till soft peak as per instruction.... dunno what i did wrong...very strange

Kelly, Wow that is strange. A cause of curdling that I am aware of is overbeating. If its just starting to curdle you might be able to recover by adding more cream and whisking it in by hand. But if its too far along that won't work. You might end up with lavender butter! Regardless, I will try the recipe again soon and see if I can figure out what went wrong.

I really enjoy reading your blog. I made these cupcakes for my birthday and the results were amazing. I never thought lavender and citrus could taste so good together. I had quite a bit of lavender cream leftover but that gives me an excuse to make another batch. thanks for posting this recipe. Cheers!

I ran into the same problem, Kelly, when I added the syrup. I overbeat, and I wound up with some lavender butter. I wound up using that in the frosting instead of the citrus so that my cupcakes had some lavender flavor.

I found this recipe sort of by accident, but Lavender cupcakes sounded enchanting. I made them this weekend with a friend, and I knew they would be good, but I had no idea they would be THIS good. We split the tasks up and she was making the cream while I was working on the batter, and after she simmered fresh lavender in the sugar water, we decided to do that to the milk for the cupcake batter as well. It turned out beautifully. Everyone who tried these cupcakes was completely bowled over by them, including my non-sweets-loving boyfriend who said he ate two immediately when he found them in his house. This was my first time cooking with lavender, and I can't wait to try it in other things. Thanks for the perfect recipe.

I wanted to try these so badly, but I didn't have time to fill them. So, instead I steeped a couple of tablespoons of dried lavendar in water and used it in place of half of the milk. They tasted delicious, and the flavor was very delicate and subtle, complimenting the citrus cream cheese perfectly.

As a fellow photographer, I as impressed by your images as I am by your recipes! Thank you for sharing!